This invention relates generally to refrigerant expansion control in refrigeration systems and more particularly concerns using pulse width modulated solenoid valves for expansion control. As used herein, the term "refrigeration system" refers to refrigerators, air conditioners or any other system which produces a refrigeration effect.
Conventional refrigeration systems used in household refrigerators typically operate on the simple vapor compression cycle which includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator all connected in series in the order given. Refrigerator air is blown across the evaporator and the air flow is controlled so that part of the air flow goes to the freezer compartment and the remainder of the air flow goes to the fresh food compartment. The refrigerator cycle, therefore, produces its refrigeration effect at a temperature which is appropriate for the freezer compartment, but lower than it needs to be for the fresh food compartment. Since the mechanical energy required to produce cooling at low temperatures is greater than it is at higher temperatures, the simple vapor compression cycle uses more mechanical energy than one which produces cooling at two temperature levels.
A refrigeration cycle suitable for use in a household refrigerator and having improved thermodynamic efficiency is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,972, issued Mar. 27, 1990 to Heinz Jaster and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The cycle disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,972 comprises first and second compressors, a condenser, a first expansion device, a first evaporator, a phase separator, a second expansion device, and a second evaporator all connected in series in the order given. The phase separator receives two phase refrigerant from the first evaporator and provides liquid refrigerant to the second expansion device and saturated vapor refrigerant to the second compressor. The first evaporator is operated at approximately 25.degree. F. and cools the fresh food compartment; the second evaporator is operated at approximately -10.degree. F. and cools the freezer compartment. Thus, this dual evaporator, two-stage cycle uses much less mechanical energy than the typical single evaporator system.
Household refrigerators typically use capillary tubes as the expansion devices because they are simple, low cost devices. However, capillary tubes have a number of limitations as expansion devices. For instance, capillary tubes must be made very long to allow an inside diameter which is manufacturable and large enough to avoid clogging. This needed length takes up space in the refrigerator. The use of capillary tube expansion control also requires very precise refrigerant charging operations during production because the flow rate through the capillary tube is highly sensitive to the amount of refrigerant charge in the system.
Capillary tubes have additional limitations which are specific to the dual evaporator, two-stage refrigeration cycle. A typical compartment temperature control scheme for the dual evaporator, two-stage cycle is to run the fan of the evaporator whose compartment temperature is above a set point and shut down all fans and the compressor if lower temperature set points have been reached in both compartments. If both capillary tubes are sized for the case in which both evaporator fans are running, then, when the fresh food compartment fan is shut down, the fresh food evaporator pressure drops, causing less flow through the second capillary tube. When this happens, the liquid level in the phase separator rises, and liquid refrigerant can spill into the fresh food suction line. This will also cause considerable superheat at the freezer evaporator exit, causing a drop in freezer evaporator pressure. All of these phenomena lower the cooling capacity of the freezer and the system coefficient of performance.
Furthermore, a capillary tube can be sized to provide the optimum refrigerant flow rate for only one operating condition. Capillary tubes are thus typically sized to provide the optimum flow rate for normal operating conditions. This means that when the refrigeration cycle begins (as well as under high load conditions), the capillary tube is undersized, and the evaporator is starved of refrigerant. This reduces the cooling capacity and efficiency of the refrigerator. Near the end of the refrigeration cycle, the capillary tube will be oversized and the evaporator will be flooded, again reducing efficiency. Because of this, cycle efficiency using capillary tube expansion is considerably below that attainable with active expansion control.
However, active expansion control, in the form of conventional thermostatic expansion valves, does not work well in household refrigerators. While thermostatic expansion valves are often used in automotive air conditioning and commercial refrigeration systems which have large refrigerant flow rates, they cannot be made with orifices small enough to regulate the very low flow rates (typically 10-12 lb/hr) of household refrigerators. That is, to achieve the required pressure drop the valve orifice would need to be on the order of 10 mils or less, a size that is impractical to manufacture and very susceptible to plugging.
Accordingly, there is a need for an alternative to capillary tubes and thermostatic expansion valves as expansion control in household refrigerators.